the haunted mask II iLLegaL eagle

“I don’t want to hurt them,” I told Chuck.. “Let’s make Carly Beth scream.” “You mean for old times’ sake?” Chuck nodded, grinning.. Chuck and I took bets on who could scare Carly Beth t

THE HAUNTED

MASK II

Goosebumps - 36 R.L Stine (An Undead Scan v1.5)

First graders are animals

You can quote me

My name is Steve Boswell, and I am in the sixth grade I may not be the smartest guy at Walnut Avenue Middle School But I know one thing for sure: First graders are animals

How do I know this fact? I learned it the hard way I learned it by coaching the first-grade soccer team after school every day

You might want to know why I chose to coach their soccer team Well, I didn’t

choose it It was a punishment

Someone set a squirrel loose in the girls’ locker room That someone was me But

So maybe it was partly my idea But Chuck was just as much to blame as I was

Of course, I was the one who got caught

Miss Curdy, the gym teacher, grabbed me as I was letting the squirrel out of its box The squirrel ran across the gym to the bleachers The kids in the bleachers all jumped up and started running and screaming and acting crazy

It was just a dumb squirrel But all the teachers started chasing after it It took hours to catch it and get everyone calmed down

So Miss Curdy said I had to be punished

She gave me a choice of punishments One: I could come into the gym after school every day and inflate basketballs—by mouth—until my head exploded Or two: I could coach the first-grade soccer team

I chose number two

The wrong choice

My friend Chuck was supposed to help me coach the team But he told Miss Curdy he had an after-school job

Do you know what his after-school job is? Going home and watching TV

A lot of people think that Chuck and I are best friends because we look so much alike We’re both tall and thin We both have straight brown hair and dark brown eyes We both wear baseball caps most of the time Sometimes people think we’re brothers!

But that’s not why I like Chuck and Chuck likes me We’re best friends because

we make each other laugh

I laughed really hard when Chuck told me what his after-school job was But I’m not laughing now

I’m praying Every day I pray for rain If it rains, the first graders don’t have soccer practice

Today, unfortunately, is a bright, clear, beautiful October day Standing on the playground behind school, I searched the sky for a cloud—any cloud—but saw only blue

“Okay, listen up, Hogs!” I shouted I wasn’t making fun of them That’s the name they voted for their team Do you believe it? The Walnut Avenue Hogs

Does that give you an idea of what these kids are like?

I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted again “Line up, Hogs!”

Andrew Foster grabbed the whistle I wear around my neck and blew it in my face Then Duck Benton tromped down hard on my new sneakers Everyone calls him Duck because he quacks all the time He and Andrew thought that was a riot Then Marnie Rosen jumped up behind me, threw her arms around my neck, and climbed on my back Marnie has curly red hair, freckles all over her face, and the most evil grin I ever saw on a kid “Give me a ride, Steve!” she shouted “I want a ride!”

“Marnie—get off me!” I cried I tried to loosen her grip on my neck She was

choking me The Hogs were all laughing now

“Marnie—I… can’t… breathe!” I gasped

I bent down and tried to throw her off my back But she hung on even tighter Then I felt her lips press against my ear

“What are you doing?” I cried Was she trying to kiss me or something?

Yuck! She spit her bubble gum into my ear

Then, laughing like a crazed fiend, she hopped off me and went running across the grass, her curly red hair bouncing behind her

“Give me a break!” I cried angrily The purple gum stuck in my ear It took me a

while to scrape it all out

By the time I finished, they had started a practice game

Have you ever watched six-year-olds play soccer? It’s chase and kick, chase and kick Everybody chase the ball Everybody try to kick it

I try to teach them positions I try to teach them how to pass the ball to each other I try to teach them teamwork But all they want to do is chase and kick, chase and kick

Which is fine with me As long as they leave me alone

I blow my whistle and act as umpire And try to keep the game going

Andrew Foster kicked a big clump of dirt on my jeans as he ran by He acted as if

it were an accident But I knew it was deliberate

Then Duck Benton got into a shoving fight with Johnny Myers Duck watches

hockey games on TV with his dad, and he thinks you’re supposed to fight Some

days Duck doesn’t chase after the ball at all He just fights

I let them chase-and-kick, chase-and-kick for an hour Then I blew the whistle to call practice to an end

Not a bad practice Only one bloody nose And that was a win because it wasn’t mine!

“Okay, Hogs—see you tomorrow!” I shouted I started to trot off the playground Their parents or baby-sitters would be waiting for them in front of the school

Then I saw that a bunch of the kids had formed a tight circle in the middle of the field They all wore grins on their faces, so I decided I’d better see what they were up

to

“What’s going on, guys?” I asked, trotting back to them

Some kids stepped back, and I spotted a soccer ball on the grass Marnie Rosen smiled at me through her freckles “Hey, Steve, can you kick a goal from here?” The other kids stepped away from the ball I glanced to the goal It was really far away, at least half the field

“What’s the joke?” I demanded

Marnie’s grin faded “No joke Can you kick a goal from here?”

“No way!” Duck Benton called

“Steve can do it,” I heard Johnny Myers say “Steve can kick it farther than that.”

“No way!” Duck insisted “It’s too far even for a sixth grader.”

“Hey—that’s an easy goal,” I bragged “Why don’t you give me something hard

“Okay, guys, watch how a pro does it!” I cried

I ran up to the ball Got plenty of leg behind it

Gave a tremendous kick

Froze for a second

And then let out a long, high wail of horror

I didn’t really feel like talking to anyone Not even my friend

But there he was So what could I do?

“Yo—Steve!” He stopped halfway down the driveway “What happened? Why are you limping?”

“Concrete,” I groaned

He pulled off his black-and-red Cubs cap and scratched his thick brown hair

“Huh?”

“Concrete,” I repeated weakly “The kids had a concrete soccer ball.”

Chuck squinted at me I could see he still didn’t understand

“One of the kids lives across the street He had his friends help roll a ball of concrete to the school,” I explained “Painted white and black to look like a soccer ball Solid concrete They had it there on the field They asked me to kick a goal and—and—” My voice caught in my throat I couldn’t finish

I hobbled over to the big beech tree beside Chuck’s driveway and leaned back against its cold, white trunk

“Wow That’s not a very funny joke,” Chuck said, replacing his cap on his head

“Tell me about it,” I groaned “I think I broke every bone in my foot Even some bones I don’t have.”

“Those kids are animals!” Chuck declared

I groaned and rubbed my aching foot It wasn’t really broken But it hurt A lot I shifted my backpack on my shoulders and leaned back against the tree

“Know what I’d like to do?” I told Chuck

“Pay them back?”

“You’re right!” I replied “How did you know?”

“Lucky guess.” He stepped up beside me I could see that he was thinking hard Chuck always scrunches up his face when he’s trying to think

“It’s almost Halloween,” he said finally “Maybe we could think of some way to

scare them I mean, really scare them.” His dark eyes lit up with excitement

“Well… maybe.” I hesitated “They’re just little kids I don’t want to do anything mean.”

My backpack felt weird—too full I pulled it off my shoulder and lowered it to the ground

I leaned over and unzipped it

And about ten million feathers came floating out

“Those kids—!” Chuck exclaimed

I pulled open the backpack All of my notebooks, all of my textbooks—covered

in sticky feathers Those animals had glued feathers to my books

I tossed down the backpack and turned to Chuck “Maybe I do want to do

something mean!” I growled

It hadn’t been a bad practice It hadn’t been a good practice, either

Just as we started, Andrew Foster lowered his head and came at me full speed He weighs about a thousand pounds, and he has a very hard head He plowed into my stomach and knocked the wind out of me

I rolled around on the ground for a few minutes, groaning and choking and gasping The kids thought it was pretty funny Andrew claimed it was an accident

I’m going to get you guys back, I vowed to myself I don’t know how But I’m

going to get you guys.

Then Marnie Rosen jumped on my back and tore the collar off my new winter coat

Chuck met me after practice He’d started doing that now He knew that after one hour with the first graders, I usually needed help getting home

“I hate them,” I muttered “Do you know how to spell hate? H-O-G-S.” My torn coat collar flapped in the swirling wind

“Why don’t you make all of them practice with a concrete ball?” Chuck suggested He adjusted his Cubs cap over his hair “No Wait I’ve got it Let them

take turns being the ball!”

“No No good,” I replied, shaking my head The sky darkened The trees shook, sending a shower of dead leaves down around us

My sneakers crunched over the leaves “I don’t want to hurt them,” I told Chuck

“I just want to scare them I just want to scare them to death.”

The wind blew colder I felt a cold drop of rain on my forehead

As we crossed the street, I noticed two girls from our class walking on the other side I recognized Sabrina Mason’s black ponytail swinging behind her as she hurried along the sidewalk And next to her, I recognized her friend Carly Beth Caldwell

“Hey—!” I started to call out to them, but I stopped

An idea flashed into my mind

Seeing Carly Beth, I knew how to scare those first graders

Seeing Carly Beth, I knew exactly what I wanted to do

3

I started to call to the girls But Chuck clamped his hand over my mouth and dragged

me behind a wide tree

“Hey—get your clammy paws off me What’s the big idea?” I cried when he finally pulled his hand away

He pushed me against the rough bark of the tree trunk “Ssshhh They haven’t seen us.” He motioned with his eyes toward the two girls

“So?”

“So we can sneak up and scare them,” Chuck whispered, his dark eyes practically glowing with evil excitement “Let’s make Carly Beth scream.”

“You mean for old times’ sake?”

Chuck nodded, grinning

For many years, making Carly Beth scream had been our hobby That’s because she was a really good screamer, and she would scream at just about anything

One day in the lunchroom last year, Chuck tucked a worm inside his turkey sandwich Then he gave the sandwich to Carly Beth

She took one bite and knew that something tasted a little weird When Chuck showed her the big bite she had taken out of the worm, Carly Beth screamed for a week

Chuck and I took bets on who could scare Carly Beth the most and who could make her scream I guess it was kind of mean But it was funny too

And sometimes when you know that people are real easy to scare, you have no

choice You have to scare them as often as you can

Anyway, that all changed last Halloween

Last Halloween Chuck and I had a horrible scare Carly Beth wore the most frightening mask I had ever seen It wasn’t a mask It was like a living face

It was so ugly, so real It glared at us with evil, living eyes Its mouth sneered at

us with real lips The skin glowed a sick green And Carly Beth’s normally soft voice burst out in a terrifying animal growl

Chuck and I ran for our lives

No joke We were terrified

We ran for blocks, screaming the whole way It was the worst night of my life Everything changed after that

Nearly a whole year has gone by, and we haven’t tried to scare Carly Beth once I

don’t think Carly Beth can be scared Not anymore

After last Halloween, I don’t think anything scares her

She is totally fearless I haven’t heard her shriek or scream once the entire year

So I didn’t want to try to scare her now I needed to talk to her About that scary mask of hers

But Chuck kept pressing me back against the tree trunk “Come on, Steve,” he whispered “They don’t see us We’ll duck down behind the hedges and get ahead of them Then when they come by, we’ll jump out and grab them.”

“I don’t really—” I started But I could see that Chuck had his heart set on scaring Carly Beth and Sabrina So I let him pull me down out of sight

A light rain had started to fall The gusting wind blew the raindrops into my face

I crept along the hedge, bent low, following Chuck

We passed by the girls and kept moving I could hear Sabrina’s laugh behind us I heard Carly Beth say something else Then Sabrina laughed again

I wondered what they were talking about I stopped to glance through the hedge Carly Beth had a weird expression on her face Her dark eyes stared straight ahead She was moving stiffly She had the collar of her blue down jacket pulled up high around her face

I ducked down low again as the girls came closer I turned and saw that Chuck and I were standing on the wide front lawn of the old Carpenter mansion

I felt a chill as I stared across the weed-choked lawn at the gloomy old house, covered in a deep darkness Everyone said that the house was haunted—haunted by people who had been murdered inside it a hundred years ago

I don’t believe in ghosts But I don’t like standing so close to the creepy old Carpenter mansion, either

I pulled Chuck into the empty lot next door Rain pattered the ground I wiped raindrops off my eyebrows

Carly Beth and Sabrina were only a few yards away I could hear Sabrina talking excitedly about something But I couldn’t make out her words

Chuck turned to me, an evil grin spreading across his face “Ready?” he whispered “Let’s get ’em!”

We leaped to our feet Then we both jumped out, screaming at the top of our lungs

Sabrina gasped in shock Her mouth dropped to her knees Her hands flew up in the air

Carly Beth stared at me

Then her head tilted against the blue jacket collar—tilted and fell

Her head fell off her shoulders

It dropped to the ground and bounced onto the grass

Sabrina lowered her eyes to the ground She gaped at Carly Beth’s fallen head in disbelief

Then Sabrina’s hands began to flail the air crazily She opened her mouth in a scream of horror And screamed and screamed and screamed

4

I swallowed hard My knees started to buckle

Carly Beth’s head stared up at me from the grass Sabrina’s shrieks rang in my ears

And then I heard soft laughter Laughter from inside Carly Beth’s jacket

I saw a clump of brown hair poke up through the raised collar And then Carly Beth’s laughing face shot up from under the jacket

Sabrina stopped her wild cries and started to laugh

“Gotcha!” Carly Beth cried She and Sabrina fell all over each other, laughing like lunatics

“Oh, wow,” Chuck groaned

My knees were still shaking I don’t think I had taken a breath the whole time

I bent down and picked up Carly Beth’s head Some kind of dummy head A sculpture, I guess I rolled it around between my hands It was amazing It looked just like her

“It’s plaster of Paris,” Carly Beth explained, grabbing it away from me “My mom made it.”

“But—it’s so real-looking!” I choked out

She grinned “Mom is getting pretty good She keeps doing my head over and over This is one of her best.”

“It’s okay But it didn’t fool us,” Chuck said

“Yeah We knew it was a fake,” I quickly agreed But my voice cracked when I said it I was still kind of in shock

Sabrina shook her head Her black ponytail waved behind her Sabrina is very tall, taller than Chuck and me Carly Beth is a shrimp She only comes up to Sabrina’s shoulder

“You should have seen the looks on your faces!” Sabrina exclaimed “I thought

your heads were going to fall off!”

The two girls hugged each other again and had another good laugh

“We saw you a mile away,” Carly Beth said, twirling the head in her hands

“Luckily, I brought this head in to show off in art class today So I pulled my jacket over my head, and Sabrina tucked the plaster head into the collar.”

“You guys scare pretty easy,” Sabrina smirked

“We weren’t scared Really,” Chuck insisted “We were just playing along.”

I wanted to change the subject The girls would talk all day and night about how dumb Chuck and I were If we let them I didn’t want to let them

The rain kept pattering down, blown by the gusting wind I shivered We were all getting pretty wet

“Carly Beth, you know that mask you wore last Halloween? Where did you get it?” I asked I tried to sound casual I didn’t want her to think it was any big deal She hugged her plaster head against the front of her jacket “Huh? What mask?”

I groaned She is such a jerk sometimes!

“Remember that really scary mask you had last Halloween? Where did you get it?”

She and Sabrina exchanged glances Then Carly Beth said, “I don’t remember.”

“Give me a break!” I groaned

“No Really—” she insisted

“You remember,” Chuck told her “You just don’t want to tell.”

I knew why Carly Beth didn’t want to tell She was probably planning to get another truly terrifying mask at the same store for this Halloween She wanted to be the scariest kid in town She didn’t want me to be scary too

I turned to Sabrina “Do you know where she bought that mask?”

Sabrina made a zipper motion over her lips “I’m not telling, Steve.”

“You don’t want to know,” Carly Beth declared, still hugging the head “That

mask was too frightening.”

“You just want to be scarier than me,” I replied angrily “But I need a really scary mask this year, Carly Beth There are some kids I want to scare and—”

“I’m serious, Steve,” Carly Beth interrupted “There was something totally weird about the mask It wasn’t just a mask It came alive It clamped onto my head, and I couldn’t get it off The mask was haunted or something.”

“Ha-ha,” I said, rolling my eyes

“She’s telling the truth!” Sabrina cried, narrowing her dark eyes at me

“The mask was evil,” Carly Beth continued “It started giving me orders It started talking all by itself, in a horrible, harsh growl I couldn’t control it And I couldn’t get it off It was attached to my head! I—I was so scared!”

“Oh, wow,” Chuck murmured, shaking his head “You’ve got a good imagination, Carly Beth.”

“Good story,” I agreed “Save it for English class.”

“But it’s the truth!” Carly Beth cried

“You just don’t want me to be scary,” I grumbled “But I need a good, scary mask like that one Come on,” I begged “Tell.”

“Tell us,” Chuck insisted

“Tell,” I repeated, trying to sound tough

“No way,” Carly Beth replied, shaking her fake round, little head “Let’s get home It’s really raining hard.”

“Not till you tell!” I cried I stepped in front of her to block her path

“Grab the head!” Chuck cried

I grabbed the plaster head from Carly Beth’s hands

“Give it back!” she shrieked She swiped at it, but I swung it out of her reach Then I tossed it to Chuck

He backed away Sabrina chased after him “Give that back to her!”

“We’ll give it back when you tell us where you bought that mask!” I told Carly Beth

“No way!” she cried

Chuck tossed the head to me Carly Beth made a wild grab for it But I caught it and heaved it back to Chuck

“Give it back! Come on!” Carly Beth cried, running after Chuck “My mom made

that If it gets messed up, she’ll kill me!”

“Then tell me where you bought the mask!” I insisted

Chuck tossed the head to me Sabrina jumped up and batted it down She made a wild dive for it, but I got there first I picked it up off the grass and heaved it back to Chuck

“Stop it! Give it back!”

Both girls were screaming angrily But Chuck and I kept up our game of away

keep-Carly Beth made a frantic leap for the head and fell on her stomach onto the grass When she stood up, the front of her jacket and her jeans were soaked, and she had grass stains on her forehead

“Tell!” I insisted, holding the head high in the air “Tell, and you can have the head back!”

She growled at me

“Okay,” I warned her “I guess I have to drop-kick it onto that roof.”

I turned toward the house at the top of the lawn Then I held the head in front of

me in both hands and pretended I was going to punt it onto the roof

“Okay, okay!” Carly Beth cried “Don’t kick it, Steve.”

I kept the head in front of me “Where did you get the mask?”

“You know that weird little party store a couple of blocks from school?”

I nodded I had seen the store, but I had never gone in

“That’s where I bought it There’s a back room It was filled with weird, ugly masks That’s where I got mine.”

“All right!” I cried happily I handed Carly Beth back her head

“You guys are creeps,” Sabrina muttered, pulling her collar up against the rain She pushed me out of the way and wiped the grass stain off Carly Beth’s forehead

“I really didn’t want to tell you,” Carly Beth moaned “I wasn’t making that story

up about the mask It was so terrifying.”

“Yeah Sure.” I rolled my eyes again

“Please, don’t go there!” Carly Beth begged She grabbed my arm tightly

“Please, Steve Please, don’t go to that party store!”

I pulled my arm away I narrowed my eyes at her And I laughed

Too bad I didn’t take her seriously

Too bad I didn’t listen to her

It might have saved me from a night of endless horror

5

“Get off me! Get off me, Marnie! I mean it!” I shouted

The little redheaded pest hung onto my back, laughing and digging her pudgy fingers into my neck Why did she think I was some kind of thrill ride?

“Get off! This is my good sweater!” I cried “If you wreck it—”

She laughed even harder

It had rained all night and all morning But the clouds had parted at lunchtime Now the sky was blue and clear I had no choice I had to hold soccer practice for the Hogs

Across the playground, I saw Duck Benton fighting with Andrew Foster Andrew picked up the soccer ball and heaved it with all his might into Duck’s stomach Duck’s mouth shot open He let out a whoosh of breath, and a huge wad of bubblegum went flying into the air

“Get off!” I pleaded with Marnie I tried spinning and twirling as fast as I could, trying to throw her off my back I knew if anything happened to this sweater, Mom would have a fit

You might ask why I was wearing my best, blue wool sweater to soccer practice Good question

The answer is: It was Class Photo Day And Mom wanted me to take a really good picture to send to all my aunts and uncles She made me wear the sweater And she made me shampoo my hair before school and not wear my Orlando Magic cap over it

So I looked like a jerk all day And now, here was soccer practice And I had forgotten to bring a sweatshirt or something to replace my good sweater

“Whoooooa!” Marnie gave me a final kick in the side as she hopped off my back

I pulled down my sweater, hoping it wasn’t stretched too badly I heard angry shouts and glanced up to find Andrew and Duck swinging their fists at each other and butting heads across the field

I reached for my whistle

And grabbed air

Marnie had swiped it She held it high above her head and ran, laughing, over the grass

“Hey, you—!” I screamed, chasing after the little thief

I took three steps—and my sneakers slid in the mud My feet flew out from under

me With an angry cry, I fell forward And landed on my stomach in deep, wet mud

“Noooooo!” I let out a howl of dread “Please Nooooo!”

But when I pulled myself up, the mud came with me My entire body was caked

in thick, wet mud My beautiful blue sweater? It was now an ugly brown sweater

With a sad groan, I sank back onto the ground I just wanted to disappear, to sink from sight into the big mud hole

My faithful team, the Horrible Hogs, were laughing and hooting They thought it was a riot Nice kids, huh?

At least my mud dive had stopped Andrew and Duck from fighting

The mud weighed me down as I climbed slowly to my feet I felt like Andrew I felt as if I weighed a thousand pounds Maybe I did!

I wiped mud off my eyes with both hands—and saw Chuck standing over me He tsk-tsked a few times “You look really bad, man.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered

“Why did you do that?” he asked

I squinted through two inches of mud at him “Excuse me?”

“You look like a Mud Monster or something.” Chuck snickered

“Ha-ha,” I said glumly

“You told me to meet you here, Steve You said we were going straight to that party store to buy the you-know-what.”

He glanced back at my team of first graders They weren’t listening to our conversation They were too busy flinging mud balls at each other

I scooped my hand along the front of my sweater and scraped off about ten pounds of glop “I… uh… I think I’d better go home after practice and get changed first,” I told Chuck

Talk about your long afternoons!

I had to break up the mud ball fight Then I had to hand over all of the little angels to their parents and baby-sitters

Then I had to explain to their angry parents and baby-sitters why they had practiced mud ball fighting instead of soccer

I crept home Chuck waited for me outside I hid my mud-caked clothes in the back of my closet I didn’t have time to explain to my mom

Then I changed into a clean pair of jeans and a gray-and-red Georgetown Hoyas sweatshirt one of my uncles had sent me I don’t know anything about the Hoyas I don’t even know what a Hoya is But it is a cool sweatshirt

I pulled my cap down over my mud-drenched hair Then I hurried to meet Chuck

“Steve—is that you?” Mom called from the den

“No, it isn’t!” I called back I closed the front door behind me and ran down the driveway before she could stop me from going out again

I was really eager to find that party store and check out the weird masks So eager, I forgot to bring any money with me

Chuck and I walked two blocks before I reached into my jeans pocket and realized it was empty We jogged back to my house, and I crept up to my room once again

“This just isn’t my day,” I muttered to myself

But I knew that buying a really gross and frightening mask would instantly cheer

me up Then I could go ahead with my plan to terrify the Hogs, to get my revenge Revenge!

What a beautiful word

When I’m older and have my own car, that’s what I want it to say on my license plate

I pulled all of my allowance money out of the dresser drawer where I hide it I counted it quickly—about twenty-five dollars Then I jammed the bills into my jeans pocket and hurried back downstairs

“Steve—are you going out again?” Mom called from the den

“Be right back!” I shouted I slammed the front door and ran down the driveway

to meet Chuck

Our sneakers slid over fat, wet leaves as we walked A pale full moon hung low over the trees

The streets and sidewalks still glistened from all the rain

Chuck had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hooded sweatshirt He leaned into the wind as we walked “I’m going to be late for dinner,” he grumbled “I’m probably going to get into major trouble.”

“It’ll be worth it,” I told him, feeling a little more cheerful We crossed the street that led to the party store A small grocery stood on the corner Other small shops came into view

“I can’t wait to see these masks!” I exclaimed “If I find one just half as scary as

Carly Beth’s…”

There it stood! In the darkness above a small, square store, I could make out the sign: THE PARTY PLACE

“Let’s check it out!” I cried

I leaped over a fire hydrant

Flew over the sidewalk Up to the big front window

And peered in the window

6

“Oh, wow!” Chuck cried breathlessly, stepping up beside me

We both pressed our faces against the window glass and stared in

Stared into total darkness

“Is it closed?” Chuck asked softly “Maybe it’s just closed for the night.”

I uttered an unhappy sigh “No way It’s closed for good The store is gone.” Peering through the dust-smeared glass, I could see empty shelves and display racks inside A tall metal shelf lay on its side across the center aisle A trash basket, overflowing with paper and empty soda cans, stood on top of the counter

“There’s no ‘Out of Business’ sign on the door,” Chuck said He’s a good friend

He saw how disappointed I looked He was trying to stay hopeful

“It’s empty.” I sighed “Totally cleaned out It isn’t going to open up again tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah Guess you’re right,” Chuck murmured

He slapped my shoulder “Yo—snap out of it You’ll find a scary mask at some other store.”

I pushed myself away from the window “I wanted one like Carly Beth’s,” I complained “You remember that mask You remember those glowing eyes, right? And the way the mouth moved The way it growled at us with those long, dripping fangs It was so gross And it looked totally real Like a real monster!”

“They probably have masks like that at K-Mart,” Chuck said

“Give me a break,” I muttered I kicked at a candy wrapper that blew across the sidewalk

A car rumbled past slowly Its headlights rolled over the front of the store, lighting up the bare shelves, the empty counters inside

“We’d better get home,” Chuck warned, pulling me away from the store “I’m not allowed to wander around town after dark.”

He said something else, but I didn’t hear him I was still picturing Carly Beth’s mask, still unable to get over my disappointment

“You don’t understand how important this is to me,” I told Chuck “Those first graders are ruining my life I have to pay them back this Halloween I have to.”

“They’re just first graders,” he replied

“No, they’re not They’re monsters Vicious, man-eating monsters.”

“Maybe we can make a scary mask,” Chuck suggested “You know Out of

papier-mâché and stuff.”

I didn’t even bother to answer him Chuck is a good guy, but sometimes he has the dumbest ideas ever thought up by a human

I could just see Marnie Rosen and Duck Benton when I popped out on

Halloween “Ooh, we’re scared! We’re scared! Papier-mâché!”

“I’m hungry,” Chuck grumbled “Come on, Steve Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah Okay,” I agreed I started to follow him down the sidewalk—then stopped

Another car had turned onto the street Its headlights rolled over a narrow alley beside the party store

“Whoa, Chuck! Check it out!” I grabbed the shoulder of his sweatshirt and spun him around “Look!” I pointed into the alley “That door is open!”

“Huh? What door?”

I dragged Chuck into the alley A large black trapdoor in the sidewalk had been left up It caught the light from a streetlamp on the sidewalk

Chuck and I peered in through the door Steep concrete steps led down to a basement

The basement of the party store!

Chuck turned to me, a confused expression on his face “So? They left the basement door open So what?”

I grabbed the open trapdoor and leaned over the steps, squinting into the dim light from the streetlamp “There are boxes down there A whole bunch of cartons.”

He still didn’t understand

“Maybe all the masks and costumes and party things are packed up in those cartons Maybe the stuff hasn’t been shipped away yet.”

“Whoa What are you thinking about?” Chuck demanded “You’re not going down there—are you? You’re not going to sneak down to that dark basement and try

to steal a mask—are you?”

I didn’t answer him

I was already halfway down the stairs

“Ohh!” I let out a cry as one foot slid over the concrete step and I felt myself start

to fall I shot out both hands in search of a railing—but there wasn’t one

I landed on the hard basement floor with a loud thud—luckily, on both feet

Feeling shaken, I took a deep breath and held it

Then I turned back to the trapdoor and called up to Chuck “I’m okay Get down here.”

In the light from the streetlamp, I could see his unhappy face peering down at me

“I—I really don’t want to,” he called softly

“Chuck—hurry,” I insisted “Get out of the alley If someone drives by and sees you, they’ll get suspicious.”

“But it’s so late, Steve,” he whined “And it isn’t right to break into basements and—”

“We’re not breaking in,” I called up to him impatiently “The door was open—right? Hurry up If the two of us search the boxes, we can do it in five minutes.”

He leaned down over the opening “It’s too dark,” he complained “We don’t have a flashlight or anything.”

“I can see fine,” I replied “Get down here You’re wasting time.”

“But it’s against the law…” he started Then I saw his expression change His mouth dropped open as car headlights washed over him With a low gasp, Chuck ducked through the opening, and bolted down the stairs

He stepped up close beside me, breathing hard “I don’t think they saw me.” His eyes darted around the large basement “It’s too dark, Steve Let’s go home.”

“Give your eyes a chance to adjust,” I instructed him “I can see okay.”

I gazed slowly around the basement It was bigger than I’d thought I couldn’t really see the walls They were hidden in darkness

The ceiling was low, only a foot or two over our heads Even in the dim light, I could see the thick cobwebs in the rafters

The cartons had been stacked in two rows near the steps Somewhere way across

the room, I could hear the steady drip drip drip of water

“Oh!” I jumped when I heard a clattering sound

It took me a few seconds to figure out that it was the wind blowing against the metal trapdoor up in the alley

I made my way over to the nearest carton and bent over to examine it The flaps were folded over each other But the carton wasn’t sealed

“Let’s have a look,” I murmured, reaching for the flaps

Chuck had his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest “This isn’t right,” he protested “It’s stealing.”

“We haven’t taken anything,” I protested “And even if we do find a good, scary mask and take it, we’ll just borrow it We’ll return it after Halloween.”

“Aren’t you… a little scared?” Chuck asked softly, his eyes moving all around the dark room

I nodded “Yeah I’m a little scared,” I admitted “It’s cold and creepy down

here.” The wind clattered the trapdoor above us again I heard the faint drip of water

against the concrete floor

“Let’s hurry,” I urged “Help me.”

Chuck stepped beside me, but he just stared down at the box and didn’t try to help

I pulled open the first carton, pushed back the cardboard flaps, and peered inside

“What is this stuff?” I reached in and pulled out a cone-shaped party hat The box

was stuffed with party hats

“This is great!” I whispered happily to Chuck

I dropped the hat back in the box “I was right All the stuff from the store is packed up down here We’re going to find the scary masks I know we will!”

Cartons were stacked on top of cartons I pulled down another one and started to pull it open “Chuck, you take the bottom one,” I instructed

He hesitantly reached for the box “I have a bad feeling about this, Steve,” he murmured

“Just find the masks,” I replied My heart was thudding My hands were shaking

as I pulled open the second carton I was really excited

“This one is filled with candles,” Chuck reported

My carton had piles of party place mats, napkins, and paper cups “Keep going,” I urged “The masks have got to be down here.”

Above our heads, the wind shook the trapdoor I hoped it wouldn’t suddenly slam shut on us I didn’t want to be trapped down in this cold basement in the dark

Chuck and I slid two more cartons into the pale square of light from outside My carton was taped shut I struggled to pull off the tape

I stopped when I heard the creaking sound above my head

Creaking floorboards?

I froze, my hands over the carton “What was that?” I whispered

Chuck frowned at me “What was what?”

“Didn’t you hear that noise upstairs? It sounded like a footstep.”

Chuck shook his head “I didn’t hear anything.”

I listened for a few more seconds Silence now So I went back to work on the carton

I pulled it open and peered eagerly inside

Greeting cards Dozens of greeting cards I sifted through them Birthday cards Valentines A whole carton of cards

Disappointed, I shoved the carton to the side and turned to Chuck “Any luck?”

“Not yet Let’s see what’s in this one.”

He pulled open the carton with both hands Then he leaned over it and peered inside

“Oh, yuck!” he cried

8

“It’s so gross!” Chuck groaned

“What is? What?” I demanded I leaped over my carton to get to him

“Check it out.” A grin spread over Chuck’s face as he pulled something out of the carton

I gasped as I saw an ugly purple face with broken teeth and a long, fat worm poking out of a hole in its cheek

“You found them!” I shrieked

Chuck let out a gleeful laugh “A whole carton of masks! And they’re all totally gross!”

I grabbed the ugly mask from his hand and studied it “Hey—it feels warm!”

It was so cold down in that basement Why did the mask feel warm?

The worm bobbed out of the ugly face, as if it were alive

I dropped the mask, plunged my hand into the carton, and pulled out another one

A disgusting pig face with thick gobs of green stuff dripping from its snout

“That one looks like Carly Beth!” Chuck joked

“These are scarier than the mask Carly Beth had last year,” I said

I pulled another one from the box A furry animal face, sort of like a gorilla, except that it had two long pointed fangs sliding down past its chin

I dropped it and grabbed up another mask Then another A hideous bald head with one eye hanging down by a thread and an arrow through the forehead

I tossed it to Chuck and pulled out another one

“This is amazing!” I cried happily “These will terrify those kids How will I ever choose the best one?”

Chuck let out a disgusted groan and dropped the mask he was holding into the box “They feel like real skin They’re so warm.”

I didn’t pay any attention to him I was busy digging down to the bottom of the carton I wanted to check out each mask before I made my choice

I wanted the scariest, grossest mask in the box I wanted a mask that would give those first graders more nightmares than they had given me!

I pulled out a mask of a girl’s face with a lizard’s head poking out from her mouth

No Not scary enough

I pulled out a mask of a snarling wolf, its lips pulled back to show two jagged rows of pointed teeth

Too wimpy

I pulled out an ugly mask of a leering old man, his mouth twisted in an evil grin

The mask had long, stringy yellow hair that drooped down over the old man’s craggy forehead I could see big black spiders climbing in the hair and in the ears A chunk of forehead was missing, revealing a patch of gray skull underneath

Not bad, I thought

This one even smelled bad!

I started to put it back when I heard a creaking sound again

Louder this time

The ceiling above my head groaned

I gasped It really sounded like a footstep Someone walking around up there But the store had appeared dark and empty Chuck and I had both stared into the window for a long time If anyone was hiding there in the darkness, we would have seen them

Another creak made me suck in a mouthful of air

I froze, listening hard I could hear the steady drip drip of water across the dark

basement I could hear the trapdoor rattling outside

And I could hear my own shallow breathing

The ceiling squeaked I swallowed hard

It’s an old building, I told myself All old buildings squeak and creak Especially

on a windy night

A scraping footstep made me gasp out loud

“Chuck—did you hear that?”

Gripping the old-man mask, I listened hard

“Did you hear that?” I whispered “Do you think someone else is in the building?”

Silence

Another scraping footstep

“Chuck?” I whispered “Hey—Chuck?”

My heart pounding, I turned to him

“Chuck?”

He was gone

A stab of fear made my breath catch in my throat

I heard the hard thud of sneakers against concrete, and turned to the stairs In the dim light, I saw Chuck disappear out through the trapdoor

As soon as he reached the alley, he poked his head back in “Steve—get out!” he called down in a loud whisper “Hurry! Get out of there!”

Too late

A ceiling light flashed on

As I blinked against the bright light, I saw a man move quickly across the basement He swept along the wall, pulled a long, black cord—and the trapdoor

slammed shut with a deafening clang

“Oh!” I uttered a weak cry as he turned angrily to me

I was trapped

Chuck got out But I was trapped Trapped in the basement with this guy

And what a weird-looking guy! To begin with, he wore a long black cape that swept behind him as he crossed the room to me

Is that a Halloween costume? I wondered

Does he wear a black cape all the time?

Beneath the billowing cape, he wore a black suit, kind of old-fashioned looking

He had shiny black hair, parted in the middle and slicked down with some kind of hair grease, and a pencil-thin, black mustache that curled over his upper lip

As he stood over me, his black eyes glowed like two burning coals

Like vampire eyes! I thought

My whole body was shaking I gripped the sides of the carton and tried to return his stare

Trapped, I thought, waiting for him to speak Trapped with a vampire

“What are you doing here?” he asked finally He pushed back his cape and crossed his arms in front of him The glowing eyes glared down at me sternly

“Uh… just looking at masks,” I managed to choke out I was still on my knees on the floor I knew that my legs were shaking too hard to stand up

“The store is closed,” the man said through gritted teeth

“I know,” I admitted, lowering my eyes to the floor “I—”

“The store went out of business We’re closed for good.”

“I… I’m sorry,” I murmured

Was he going to let me go? What was he going to do with me?

If I started to scream, no one would hear me

Would Chuck try to get help for me? Or was he halfway home by now?

“I live upstairs,” the man explained, still glaring at me angrily “I heard scraping sounds down here Boxes being moved around I was going to call the police.”

“I’m not a burglar,” I blurted out “Please don’t call the police The trapdoor was open and my friend and I came down.”

His eyes moved quickly around the room “Your friend?”

“He ran away when he heard you coming,” I told him “I just wanted to see if there were any masks You know For Halloween I wasn’t going to steal anything I just—”

“But the store is closed,” the man repeated He glanced at the open carton in front

of me “Those masks are very special They’re not for sale.”

“N-not for sale?” I stammered

“You shouldn’t break into stores,” the man replied, shaking his head His down hair gleamed under the low ceiling light “How old are you?”

slicked-I drew a blank My mouth dropped open, but no answer came out slicked-I was so terrified, I forgot how old I was!

“Twelve,” I answered finally I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself

“Twelve and you’re already breaking into stores,” the man said softly

“I don’t break into stores!” I protested “I mean, I never did before I came to buy

a mask Look I brought money.”

I jammed my trembling hand into my jeans pocket and pulled out the wad of bills “Twenty-five dollars,” I said, holding up the money so he could see it “Here Is

it enough for one of these masks?”

He rubbed his chin “I told you, young man These masks are special They cannot be sold Believe me—you do not want one of these.”

“But I do!” I cried “They’re awesome! They’re the best masks I’ve ever seen Halloween is only a few days away I need one I need one desperately Please—!”

“No!” the man shouted sharply “Not for sale.”

“But why not?” I wailed

He eyed me thoughtfully “Too real,” he replied “The masks are too real.”

“But that’s why they’re so awesome!” I exclaimed “Please? Please? Take my

money Here.” I pushed the wad of bills toward him

He didn’t reply Instead, he turned away His cape swirled behind him “Come with me, young man.”

“Huh? Where?” Cold fear ran down my back I was still holding the money out in front of me

“Come upstairs with me I’m going to call your parents.”

“No!” I shrieked “Please—!”

If my mom and dad found out I got caught breaking into the basement of a store, they would go totally ballistic! They’d ground me for life! I’d miss this Halloween—and the next thirty Halloweens to come!

The man eyed me coldly “I don’t want to call the police,” he said softly “I’d rather call your parents.”

“Please…” I murmured again, climbing to my feet

I suddenly had an idea

I could make a run for it

I glanced quickly at the concrete stairs leading up to the trapdoor If I took off—and really flew—I could get up those stairs before the man could reach me

The trapdoor was shut But it probably wasn’t locked I could push it open from underneath, and just keep running

I glanced again at the steps It was worth a try, I decided

I took a deep breath and held it

Then I silently counted to three

One… two… THREE!

On three, I took off My heart thudded louder than my sneakers on the hard floor But I made it to the stairs in about a second and a half!

“Hey—stop!” I heard the caped man cry out in surprise I could hear his heavy steps as he plunged after me

“Stop, young man! Where are you going?”

I didn’t slow down or glance back

I took the stairs two at a time

Yes! Yes! I’m getting away! I thought

As I reached the top, I shot out both hands—and pushed up on the trapdoor with all of my might

It didn’t budge

10

“Ohh!” I let out a terrified moan

The caped man had reached the bottom of the steps I could practically feel his breath on the back of my neck

The door has got to open! I told myself It’s got to!

I took a deep breath Then I heaved my shoulder against the door I uttered a desperate groan as I pushed

Pushed

The caped man made a grab for me

I felt his hand brush my ankle

I kicked the hand away Then I shoved my shoulder hard against the trapdoor And it opened

“Yes!” A happy cry escaped my throat as I scrambled out into the alley

The cold air rushed against my hot face I stumbled over something hard—a stone

or a brick I didn’t stop to look I ran through the narrow alley, to the sidewalk in front of the store

My eyes swept back and forth I searched for Chuck No sign of him

Had the caped man followed me out the trapdoor? Was he chasing after me?

I turned back to the alley And saw only darkness

Then I took off, running fast, my feet practically flying over the pavement I shot across the street Bright lights washed over me A car horn honked, making me jump about a mile! The car roared past

“Hey, Steve—!”

Chuck stepped out from behind a tall evergreen shrub “You made it!”

“Yeah I made it,” I replied, gasping for breath

“I—I didn’t know what to do!” he stammered

I shook my head “So you just stood here?”

“I waited for you,” he said “I was kind of scared.”

Big help

“Get going,” I urged, glancing back across the street “He may be chasing us.”

We ran side by side, our breath steaming up into the cold night air The houses and dark lawns whirred past in a gray-black blur We didn’t say another word to each other

Three blocks later, I slowed down as we reached Chuck’s house I leaned over and tried to shake away the sharp pain in my side I always get a pain like that when I run more than a few blocks

“See you!” Chuck cried breathlessly “Sorry you didn’t get your mask.”

“Yeah It’s too bad,” I murmured glumly

I watched him run along the side of his house until he disappeared around the back Then I took a deep breath and took off again, jogging now, toward my house

on the next block

My heart was still racing in my chest But I was starting to feel calmer The man

in the black cape didn’t chase after us In a few seconds, I would be safe in my own home

Halfway up our driveway, I slowed to a stop The pain in my side had faded to a dull ache

I stepped into the yellow light from the front porch I could hear my dog Sparky barking inside the house Sparky knew I was home

As I climbed onto the front stoop, a smile crossed my face

A very wide smile

I was pleased with myself In fact, I was overjoyed I felt like leaping in the air

Or maybe doing a wild, crazy dance Or crowing like a rooster Or tilting back my head and howling at the moon

The evening had been a total success

I didn’t tell Chuck I didn’t want Chuck to know

But when the caped man clicked on the basement light—in that split second before he saw me and I saw him—I grabbed a mask from the carton And I shoved it under my sweatshirt

I had a mask!

It hadn’t been easy In fact, being trapped in that eerie basement with that strange man had been the scariest time of my life

But I had a mask! Safely tucked under my sweatshirt

I could feel it against my chest as I ran And I could feel it now, warm against my skin as I reached for the front door

I was so happy So pleased with myself

And then I felt the mask start to move

And I screamed as something sharp bit into my chest

“Whoa,” I murmured, holding the mask in place under the sweatshirt

Stop imagining things, Steve, I scolded myself

Calm down The mask started to slip down your chest That’s all It wasn’t moving It didn’t bite you

Get in the house, I ordered myself Hide the thing in a drawer in your room And pull yourself together

Why was I so nervous?

The scary part was over I had escaped with one of the great masks Now it was

my turn to scare other people Why was I standing there scaring myself?

Still holding the front of my sweatshirt, I pushed open the front door and stepped into the house “Down, boy! Get down, Sparky!” I cried as the little black terrier greeted me He leaped high off the floor, bouncing off me, barking and whining as if

he hadn’t seen me in twenty years

“Get down, Sparky! Down!”

I wanted to sneak into the house, run up to my room, and stash the mask away before my parents heard me return But Sparky ruined that plan

“Steve—is that you?” Mom stormed into the living room, a fretful frown on her face She glared at me and angrily blew a curl of blond hair from in front of her eyes

“Where on earth were you? Your father and I went ahead and ate dinner Yours is ice-cold by now!”

“Sorry, Mom,” I said, still holding the front of my sweatshirt to keep the mask in place as I tried to push Sparky away

The lock of hair fell back over her forehead She blew at it again “Well? Where

were you?”

“I… well…”

Think fast, Steve

You can’t tell her you sneaked out to steal a Halloween mask from the basement

of a store

“I had to help Chuck with something,” I finally answered

Sure, it was a lie But it wasn’t a serious lie

I’m usually a very honest guy But right then, all I cared about was having the mask! I had it, and I was desperate to get it out from under my sweatshirt and hidden

in a safe place in my room

“Well, you should have told me where you were going,” Mom scolded “Your father went out to do the grocery shopping But he’s very angry, too You should have been home for dinner.”

I lowered my head “Sorry, Mom.”

Sparky gazed up at me Was he staring at the bulge in my sweatshirt?

If the dog could see it, Mom could see it too

“I’ll take off my coat and come right down,” I told her

I didn’t give her a chance to reply I spun around, leaped onto the stairs, and ran

up two at a time I flew down the hall, burst into my room, and slammed the door behind me

I took a few seconds to catch my breath I listened hard, making sure that Mom hadn’t followed me upstairs

No I could hear her banging around in the kitchen, getting my dinner ready

I couldn’t wait to check out the mask!

Which one did I take? When the light came on in the store basement, I grabbed a mask without looking I stuffed it under my sweatshirt before I could see it

Now I eagerly reached under the sweatshirt and pulled out my hard-won prize

“Wow!” I raised it in both hands and admired it

The old-man mask I took the mask of the creepy old man

I smoothed out its long strings of yellow-white hair Holding it by the big, pointy ears, I lifted it in front of my face and examined it closely

A single white tooth hung down over the bottom lip A brown wormhole poked through the center of the tooth

Outside on the front stoop, the big tooth had scraped my chest, I realized That’s what made me think the mask was biting me

The mouth was twisted in an evil sneer The lips curled like two brown worms The long nose had gobs of green dripping from each nostril A square patch of skin was missing just above the forehead I could see gray skull bone in the hole The whole face was creased and lined The flesh was a sickly green The skin appeared to be peeling off the face Dark scabs bulged from the sunken cheeks Black spiders appeared to crawl through the stringy, yellow hair Spiders poked out of the two ears

“Yuck!” I cried

Was I holding the scariest Halloween mask in the world?

No In the universe!

I began to feel a little queasy just holding it I rubbed the scabby cheek with one finger The skin felt warm, like real skin

“Heh-heh-heh.” I practiced laughing like an old man “Heh-heh-heh.” I tried a dry cackle

Look out, Hogs! I told myself When I come leaping out at you on Halloween night in this mask, you will jump out of your skins!

“Heh-heh-heh.”

I raked the ugly, long hair back over the head My fingers bumped over the spiders tangled in the hair The spiders didn’t feel rubbery They felt soft and warm

I gazed down happily at the disgusting, old face It sneered back at me The brown worm lips quivered

Should I try it on?

I carried it over to the mirror on my closet door I was dying to see what I’d look like

I’ll slip it on for just a second, I decided Long enough to see how ugly and frightening I’d look

Holding it in both hands, I raised the mask over my head

Then slowly, carefully… very carefully… I began to pull the mask down, down, down over my face

Mom’s loud cry from downstairs startled me

“Steve—where are you? Get down here for your dinner!”

“Coming!” I shouted back I lowered the mask I’d try it on later, I decided

I walked quickly to the dresser and pulled open my sock drawer Smoothing the long, spidery hair over the ugly face, I set the mask down carefully in the drawer Then I hid it under several pairs of socks and closed the drawer

I hurried down to the kitchen Mom had a salad on the table and a plate of warmed-up macaroni-and-cheese

My stomach growled I suddenly realized that I was starved! I sat down, pushed the salad aside, and started forking up the macaroni as fast as I could

I glanced down to see Sparky staring up at me with his big, black, soulful eyes

He saw me looking at him and tilted his head

“Sparky,” I said, “you don’t like macaroni—remember?”

He tilted his head the other way, as if trying to understand I slipped him a couple

of noodles He sniffed them and left them on the floor

Behind me, Mom busily cleaned out the refrigerator, making room for the

groceries Dad was out buying I was dying to tell her about the scary mask I wanted

to show it to her Maybe put it on and make her scream

But I knew she’d ask too many questions about where I bought it, and how much

it cost, and how much of my allowance I used up to pay for it

All questions I couldn’t answer

So I bit my tongue and forced myself not to blurt out the exciting news that I wouldn’t have to be a hobo again this Halloween

That was my costume for the past five years A hobo Actually, it wasn’t much of

a costume I wore one of Dad’s baggy old suits with patches on the pants Mom rubbed charcoal on my face to make me look dirty And I carried a knapsack on a fishing pole over my shoulder

Look out, Chuckie Boy! I told myself, grinning so hard some noodles slipped out

of my mouth I’m going to get you too!

I was staring up at the clouds when Marnie Rosen drop-kicked the soccer ball into my stomach

I grabbed my stomach and doubled over in pain Duck Benton and two other kids jumped on my back and drove me facedown into the mud

I didn’t care

In fact, I laughed

Because I knew that I had only one day to wait

I tried to show them how to pass As I ran along the sidelines, Andrew Foster stuck out his foot I tripped and went sailing into the bike rack A handlebar caught

me under the chin as I fell, and I actually saw stars

But I didn’t care

I picked myself up with a grin on my face

Because I knew a secret I knew an evil secret that the kids didn’t know I knew

that trick-or-treat night was going to be a special treat for me!

At four o’clock, I called an end to practice I was too weak to blow the whistle

My clothes were soaked with mud, I walked with a limp, and I had cuts and bruises

in twenty different places

A typical practice with the Horrible Hogs

But did I care?

You know the answer

I gathered them in a circle around me They were shoving each other, and pulling hair, and calling each other horrible names I told you—they’re total animals

I raised my hands to quiet them down “Let’s have a special Hogs’ Halloween party tomorrow,” I suggested

“YAAAY!” they cheered

“We’ll meet in our costumes after practice,” I continued “The whole team And we’ll all go trick-or-treating together I’ll take you.”

“YAAY!” they cheered again

“So tell your parents to drop you off,” I told them “This is going to be our special party We’ll meet in front of the old Carpenter mansion.”

Silence This time they didn’t cheer

“Why do we have to meet there?” Andrew asked